> The Great Whiskey Adventure
>  by Universal Librarian
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1 - Penderyn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a tremendous squealing from the brakes as the train slowed to a stop in Ponyville Station. A few moments later the doors opened and the usual rush of ponies either alighting or climbing aboard began. Out of the crush of ponies and other visitors, a lone, dark figure emerged. 

The figure made his way out of the crowd and strode purposefully towards the exit. His mission was clear; find the target and acquire the assets. All measures and expenses were authorized, failure would not be tolerated.

Exiting Ponyville Station, the figure paused just long enough to get his bearings, then set off in search of his target.





Gilda sighed as she wandered through Ponyville. She had originally planned on visiting Rainbow Dash while the Wonderbolt and Teacher had some rare time off, but something had come up and the pegasus had been called away on urgent business, putting the rekindling of their friendship on hold for now. 

Annoyed that she'd come all the way from Griffonstone for nothing, Gilda blew a lock of hair out of her eyes and looked around to see if she could find something to do, anything that would make this less of a wasted trip. She paused as she spotted Sugarcube Corner. Visiting Pinkie could be worth a shot, if only to try and get more ideas on how to improve her baking. 

"Look out! Coming through!" Gilda looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of a pink pony with a purple mane before it crashed into her and the two tumbled to the floor in a tangle of limbs.

Shaking her head to clear it, Gilda extricated her legs and shoved the offending pony off her. "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

To her surprise, the pony dove back at her and planted her hooves on Gilda's shoulders. "You've got to help me!" Gilda blinked in surprise and opened her beak to say something, but the mare just pointed back the way she'd been running from. "Please, they're after my treasure!"

"Treasure?" Distracted by the thought of bits, it took Gilda a second to spot who the mare was referring to, and a second more to really wish she hadn't. A red unicorn stallion wearing a coal-black cloak and mask was striding purposefully down the street towards them. A coat of arms featuring a barrel with the heads of three snarling dogs rising from behind was emblazoned prominently on the cloak. "Whoa! Who's that!"

"The League of Cerberus!" the mare hissed. "They're after me!"

"Berry Punch," the stallion called out in a deep, menacing voice, "you cannot escape us this time. Cease this selfish resistance and submit to the authority of the League."

Berry Punch squealed and grabbed Gilda's chest feathers. "Help me!" she pleaded.

Gilda looked from Berry to the scary stallion and back. "Aw, nuts." She grabbed the mare and launched herself into the air with a powerful flap of her wings. "Hold on tight!" Berry Punch just yelped and wrapped her forehooves around Gilda's barrel in response.

Looking back over her shoulder, Gilda yelped and banked aside just in time to avoid a crackling red bolt of magic. "Whoa! What the heck?!" The unicorn's horn flared as he charged another shot. Gilda banked sharply and flew down the closest alleyway before he could fire, zipping between buildings as fast as she could without crashing in a bid to escape the lunatic chasing them.

When she finally shot out into a clearing on the other side of Ponyville she risked a glance over her shoulder. The stallion was nowhere to be seen. Satisfied that they had lost him, at least for the moment, Gilda dumped Berry unceremoniously on the floor, eliciting a startled yelp. "Alright, what the heck is going on?" Gilda asked roughly.

Berry rubbed her head and looked up at her. "It's probably best not to talk about it out in the open. Would you mind escorting me to Sugarcube Corner? I'll explain everything there."

Gilda considered telling the random pony where to get off, but she couldn't help feeling intensely curious about what exactly was going on. That, and the mention of treasures had admittedly caught her attention.

A five minute walk later, keeping their eyes peeled for the angry unicorn, the two found themselves seated at a booth in Sugarcube Corner, each nursing a milkshake. 

"What do we do if that unicorn comes in here?" Gilda asked.

Berry shook her head. "He won't. The League of Cerberus doesn't dare interrupt this place's business."

Gilda frowned in confusion. "The what of what?"

"The League of Cerberus." Berry sighed and took a sip of her milkshake. "They're an organisation formed by the nobility whose sole purpose is the acquisition and protection of rare, unique, or otherwise unusual foods and beverages." In response to the griffon's blank look, she rolled her eyes and tried a simpler explanation. "They're a bunch of posh morons who collect rare food and drinks."

"Ooohh, right, I get it." Gilda raised an eyebrow curiously. "So, what? Did you steal some sort of legendary bread or something?"

Berry snorted. "Far from it. I'm a brewer, one of the few permitted to operate in Equestria. I started off by making wines, that's how I got my cutie mark, but I also dabble in other kinds of alcohol. My newest creation is this," she reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a large bottle full of amber liquid. 

Gilda eyed it in amazement. "Is that…"

"Single malt whiskey," Berry confirmed. "It took me forever to learn how to make it, and then even longer to distil it properly." She sighed and stuffed the bottle back in her saddlebags. "I've got two bottles, and the League of Cerberus wants both."

"Whoa… wait, so the League are trying to steal them? " Gilda asked in surprise, wondering why the mare hadn't just gone to the local heroes for help.

"No, they're not trying to steal anything," Berry assured her. "Well, not exactly, anyway. They're offering a very reasonable amount of bits for the bottles, the problem is they just won't accept no for an answer. They'll buy my whiskey if they have to rip it out of my hooves and stuff the money in my bags by force."

Gilda gave her a confused look. "So… they're trying to force you to sell the whiskey? If they're offering so much, why not just sell some to them?"

Berry smiled ruefully. "I do every now and then, when I come up with something new, but I've already promised the first two bottles of this batch to somecreature else. I don't mind selling the next batch to the League, but they're adamant that they want the very first bottles of the very first batch."

"Which you've already promised to somepony else," Gilda confirmed.

"Yeah. I've got to get the first one to an acquaintance in Canterlot, and the second one is going to a colleague from Saddle Arabia. The problem I have is how to get to them without getting caught by the League." Berry sighed and dropped her head to the table with a thud.

A somber silence fell over the booth. Gilda rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, thinking hard about what to do. Not long ago, she would have cheerfully left Berry alone without a second thought, unless plenty of bits were offered. Recently, however, she had found herself motivated more and more by the most annoying thing she had ever felt; a conscience.

Finally, Gilda sighed heavily. "Okay, I'll help you deliver your whiskey."

Berry's head snapped up at that. "Really?!"

A small voice in the back of Gilda's head screamed at her to refuse, but she ignored it and forced herself to nod. "Sure, but I want a taste of that whiskey when you've got another batch ready!"

Berry grinned and nodded happily. "Deal!"
> Chapter 2 - Glenfiddich
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gilda cautiously peeked out of the window. She scowled when she spotted the offending unicorn from the League lurking by the corner of a building just down the street. He was glaring directly at Sugarcube Corner, but he wasn't trying to come any closer. "Uh, quick question. How are we supposed to get out of here without getting spotted by that douche-nozzle?"

"That's a good question," Berry called as she joined Gilda at the window. "Normally I'd say we could take the back exit, but the League is bound to have somepony else watching the rear of the building, too."

"Wait, you mean there's more than one of them here?!" Gilda glared accusingly at the mare. "One crazy unicorn is bad enough, why didn't you tell me there might be more?"

"Because I didn't know you were going to help me?" Berry countered. "Besides, I have a way we can get past the pony out front, after that all we have to do is get to Ponyville Station without getting caught." She rubbed a hoof under her chin thoughtfully. "I guess the only problem is going to be actually getting on the train to Canterlot. We'll have to time this carefully."

Another sigh escaped Gilda's beak. "Let me guess, there's going to be more of them waiting at the station?"

"Probably," Berry admitted. "They might even try to follow us onto the train, but at least they won't try using force once we're aboard. They won't risk damaging the train or harming the passengers."

"That's lucky," Gilda muttered drily. Keenly aware that she had already agreed to help, she swallowed her complaints and turned away from the window. "Okay, so what's your plan for getting rid of the nutcase out in front?"

"Oh, that's easy." Berry smiled and looked back over her shoulder. "Hey, Pinkie?"

"Yep? Pinkie called from behind the counter.

Berry pointed through the window. "One of the ponies from the League of Cerberus is out there watching the door."

Pinkie froze in place. Her expression slowly morphed into a slightly-too-wide grin, with her eyes bulging out of their sockets in a way that was more than a little creepy. It wasn't a happy smile, it was a smile that somehow conveyed the thought that somepony was about to be in a whole world of pain, and Gilda couldn't suppress a shiver at the sight of it. She tried to look away as Pinkie stalked towards the door, but morbid fascination coupled with some deeply buried instinct forced her to watch.

When Pinkie reached the door she calmly opened it and poked her head out. The League unicorn's ears perked up when he saw the door open, but the moment he spotted Pinkie he yelped and darted away, tripping over his own hooves in his desperate rush to escape. With the unicorn gone, Pinkie turned back and gave a much more natural beaming grin to the two. "There we go, all done!"

"Thanks Pinkie!" Berry grinned and looked up at the clock on the wall, then turned back to Gilda. "Okay, the next train to Canterlot arrives in just under five minutes. Let's go!"

"Go? Hey, wait!" Gilda barely had time to react as Berry pulled the door open and darted outside. By the time Gilda managed to snap herself back to reality and follow the mare was already galloping around the corner of a nearby building, forcing the griffon to take to the air in order to catch up.

Flying as fast as she could without risking a crash, Gilda soon caught up with Berry. The mare was surprisingly fast on her hooves. Still, if the train was arriving so soon, they were going to be cutting it close. "If the train's leaving so early, do you think you can make it in time?"

"Yeah," Berry said curtly. "As long as we can avoid any of the-"

She was cut off as a crimson bolt of magic zapped out from an alleyway, missing her by inches. The two glanced back to see the League unicorn appear out of the alleyway and charge after them.

"That's not goo- whoa!" Gilda twisted in midair to avoid another bolt. 

"This way!" Berry turned at breakneck speed and galloped down another alleyway, taking a zigzagging route between buildings that Gilda could barely keep up with. Unfortunately, the unicorn managed to stay on their tail, though the mad pace at least ruined his aim as he fired spells at them wildly.

Still, getting shot at wasn't something Gilda was willing to take lying down. As they rounded another corner, she deliberately knocked over a barrel resting against one of the walls. The unicorn managed to jump over it easily enough, but he stumbled as he landed, tripped over his own hooves, and ended up faceplanting a few steps after. "Ha! That's what you get!"

"Nice one!" Berry called appreciatively as she turned another corner. "Come on, the train's going to be leaving any second!"

"Seriously?! We'll never make it at this rate!" Gilda cursed under her breath, then made a snap decision. "Hold on, and try not to squirm!"

"What do you-whoa!" Berry cried out in shock as Gilda snatched her up and carried her into the air. 

"Hold on tight!" With a powerful flap of her wings Gilda launched herself over the top of the buildings and banked around, making a beeline for the train station as Berry cursed and yelped below.

Gilda felt a wave of relief as she spotted the train still in the station, but then she noticed two pegasi closing in on her from either side, both wearing the same robes as the unicorn she'd left behind. "Nuts, they've got pegasi too?!"

"Fly faster!" Berry yelled. "Go straight for the train!"

"What about tickets?" Gilda asked.

"It's fine, they know me!" Berry retorted.

"Fair enough." Gilda nodded. "In that case, let's see you catch this!" 

Gripping Berry tightly, Gilda pushed herself to her absolute limit and grinned as she shot past the pegasi, leaving them in the dust. She may not have been able to beat Rainbow Dash anymore, but she was still fast enough that the Wonderbolt had to at least put some effort into it, a feat that few either within or beyond Equestria could manage. A pair of food-hoarding League pegasi didn't stand a chance.

"Ha! Eat that!" Gilda kept up her pace as she angled herself directly towards the train. As she soared over the ticket booth she slowed down and lowered her altitude, dropping Berry on her hooves right outside one of the train's doors.

"Put two tickets on my tab!" Berry yelled to the attendant as she and Gilda dove onto the train. To Gilda's surprise, the attendant simply nodded and slammed the door shut behind them, sealing them safely on the train.
> Chapter 3 - Glenmorangie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gilda sagged against the door as she tried to get her breathing under control after the mad rush. Glancing out of the window, she saw the two League pegasi land on the platform and glare furiously at her on the train. "Uh, you're sure that those guys won't force their way onto the train, right?"

Berry glanced out the window and smirked. "They won't. The League of Cerberus avoids disrupting public services in case it harms their reputation."

"But they're okay with attacking creatures in broad daylight?" Gilda asked flatly.

"Yeah, they're not the sharpest." Berry jerked her head towards the seats. "Come on, let's find somewhere to sit."

The two moved down the carriage and found a spare bench with a table just as the train started to move. They each slipped onto either side of it and sighed heavily, finally getting a chance to relax. 

"Okay, that's the first part of the journey done," Berry sighed and plonked her saddlebags onto the bench next to her before settling herself more comfortably. "All we've got to do now is wait until we reach Canterlot."

"What then?" Gilda asked.

Berry sighed and folded her forelegs on top of the table so she could rest her head. "Then we find my contact for the Minotaur Lands."

The two fell silent for a while, listening to the rattle of the train as it chugged along. Gilda took the opportunity to wonder how exactly she had allowed herself to get dragged into this mess. Then again, there was the possibility of a good drink at the end of it, so things weren't really looking too bad.

As the scenery outside flew by, Gilda asked Berry about her business. Berry gleefully indulged her, going into great detail about her work creating wines as well as her many experiments with brewing and distilling other alcoholic beverages. Lost in their discussion, the two didn't notice another mare walking up to them until she paused and cleared her throat.

Gilda glanced at her in annoyance, then did a double-take as she recognized the League of Cerberus' cloak and hood.

"It's okay, she's not going to attack!" Berry said quickly. She turned to the mare and grinned. "Here to try and buy my secrets again, Pristine?"

The mare, Pristine, pushed back her hood to reveal that she was a unicorn, with snow-white fur and a neatly curled pink mane. "Miss Twist. Miss… I'm sorry, I don't know your name?"

"Gilda," came the clipped reply.

Pristine nodded. "Miss Gilda. Yes, Miss Twist, I am here to once again attempt a negotiation."

"Shouldn't you try that before sending in your goons?" Gilda asked pointedly.

"Believe me, I would rather deal entirely in negotiations," Pristine replied. "Unfortunately, my fellow members of the League, those 'goons' as you put it, are a little more, shall we say, forceful than I am. If you don't mind me being a little less than polite then I'd go so far as to say that they're all stupid, vulgar, hard-headed idiots without a drop of true class between them."

"You're right about that," Berry snorted. "Anyway, to business. I believe you're about to make an offer on behalf of the League?"

Pristine nodded. "Naturally. For the purchase of the first bottle of your new beverage, the League of Cerberus has granted me the authority to offer the sum of no more than two hundred and fifty thousand bits."

Gilda's eyes popped out of their head and her jaw dropped open at the ridiculous sum of cash. Her surprise only increased as Berry shook her head and said, "No deal."

"As expected," Pristine nodded. "Well, I shall be off now. Shall we meet at the usual spot?"

"Sounds good to me!" Berry waved cheerfully as Pristine got up and left the carriage.

Gilda whipped her head from Berry to the door Pristine had departed through and back again. "Are you insane?!"

"What?" Berry asked blankly.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand bits!?" Gilda screeched.

Berry rolled her eyes. "Oh please, they offered me twice that for my first bottle of vin du rose." She frowned and patted her chin thoughtfully. "I actually accepted that time. The first batch wasn't anywhere near as good as I'd hoped it would be, but the League didn't care. They just wanted the prestige of having the very first bottle."

A heady mixture of awe, incredulity, and intense envy stalled Gilda's brain. She had expected the nobles to be offering a pittance for Berry to be able to reject it so easily, not mind-bendingly vast sums of cash. 

Berry just smiled at Gilda's brain-fried expression. "I'd get some rest while you can, we'll be pulling into Canterlot Station soon."
> Chapter 4 - Aberfeldy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright, we're almost at the station." Berry's words tore Gilda from envious daydreams about towering piles of bits. "We'd best get ready for the next stage of the plan."

"We have a plan?" Gilda asked.

"Of course there's a plan," Berry shot. "Our first destination is the main airship port up on the mountainside. I'll be meeting my contact from the Minotaur Lands there."

Gilda raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, there's going to be more of those goons around trying to stop you?"

Berry nodded. "Yep. Probably lots more."

"Great." Gilda sighed and raised an eyebrow. "You know, if I hadn't just seen you shrug off a quarter of a million bits, which is insane, by the way, then I'd think you were just joshing with me."

"Sadly, no," Berry sighed. "On the bright side, at least there's two of us this time!"

"You usually deal with this alone?" Gilda asked.

"I do, but to be fair they've never managed to catch me yet," Berry replied.

Gilda cocked her head to the side. "If that's true, then what's different this time? Why did you need my help?"

Berry scowled and looked out of the window. "The stallion they sent to Ponyville was a lot fitter and more determined than usual. It's almost as if they've been training for it this time around." 

"That doesn't sound promising," Gilda muttered.

"True, but now that there's two of us I'm pretty sure we have a chance." Berry grinned and gathered up her saddlebags. "Okay, our goal is the main airship port, but we can be certain that the League of Cerberus is going to try to stop us before we get anywhere near there. They'll probably be waiting to pounce the moment we leave the train station."

"Why don't I just fly us both over the wall?" Gilda suggested.

Berry shook her head. "Ever since I tried climbing the walls they've had pegasi patrolling the skies."

Gilda stared at her in surprise. "How did you manage to escape from that?"

"With difficulty," Berry admitted. "The League members here will probably have been warned that you're with me already, so they'll almost certainly be expecting me to try and fly out this time around."

"Right… how exactly are we going to do this without getting caught, then?" Gilda asked.

"Simply enough. Once we've gotten past whoever they have waiting at the station for us we'll just run straight out the main gate," Berry replied. "I know it sounds stupid," she added, holding up a hoof, "but it's pretty much our only option. At least here we'll have the option of disappearing into the crowd."

Gilda nodded, then did a double-take as she realised something. "Hold up, I'm a griffon, how am I supposed to disappear into the crowd?!"

"Right, my bad," Berry replied. "We split up, and I'll disappear into the crowd."

"Are you serious?!" Gilda spat. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to be a sacrificial pawn for you!"

Berry shook her head. "I'm not sacrificing you. You act loud and draw the League's attention while I slip into the crowd. When they finally realize that you're on your own they'll stop bothering you and split up to look for me. As soon as they're gone I'll meet up with you and we can head on to the airship port."

Something about that didn't quite sound right to Gilda, but she didn't have any more time to argue as the train pulled into the station. While the train pulled up to the platform, Berry pulled a small jar out of her saddlebags. She unscrewed the top, pulled out a hoof full of bright orange goo and smeared it through her mane. Gilda watched, fascinated, as Berry quickly and efficiently changed the colour of her hair. "That's pretty cool." 

"Thanks." Berry stuffed the jar back into her saddlebags and slung them over her back. "It won't last long, but it should be long enough to get through the League. There's a café on Moonbeam Avenue, try and get there if you can."

"Will do." Gilda sighed and stood up as the train finally ground to a halt. She didn't particularly like the idea of being bait, but she had agreed to help out. "Where should I meet you?" 

"The warehouse on Moonlight Promenade. Ask any resident, they'll point you in the right direction," Berry replied. "I'll see you soon!"

Without another word, Berry trotted to the door and disappeared into the crowd forming on the platform. Gilda sighed and stepped out herself.

Canterlot station was utterly packed. Gilda slipped through the crowd as stealthily as she could, not wishing to draw too much attention to herself, no matter what Berry wanted. Unfortunately, her care appeared to be all for naught, as she sensed rather than saw at least three ponies following her through the crush.

"Seriously? Already?" Gilda subtly picked up the pace. She wanted to curse Berry's name loudly, but somehow her heart wasn't in it. Instead, she found herself anticipating the chase that was surely brewing.

Making her way out of the station, through the thinning crowd, Gilda spotted one of the ponies following her out of the corner of her eye. They were definitely from the League of Cerberus, if the hooded cloak they were wearing was anything to go by. 

With the station exit just ahead of her, Gilda grinned and braced herself. The second she passed out of the gate she broke into a full sprint, dodging through the assembled creatures like a mad-griff. Shouts and curses erupted from the crowd behind her as her shadows abandoned subtlety and charged after her.

Shocked ponies scrambled to get out of Gilda's way. Having never been to Canterlot before, she had no idea where she was going, but that wasn't an issue at the moment. She just picked a promising-looking alleyway and made a beeline for it.

Out of nowhere, a League pony dashed in front of her and skidded to a halt, blocking the path. 

He was barely even an obstacle. 

Gilda leapt, flapping her wings once to give herself a little extra height, and bounced off the pony's back as if it were a stepping stone. She cackled as the bemused League pony was bowled over by his fellow stalkers, the two tumbling to the ground in a knotted heap. "Better luck next time, losers!"
> Chapter 5 - Bruichladdich
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gilda twisted and turned as she galloped through the alleyway, dodging trash cans and crates of produce. Hoofsteps echoed through the air as the League's cronies chased after her. At least one of them was a unicorn, as the yellow bolts pinging wildly off the walls proved. Thankfully, their aim was terrible, as none of the bolts even came close to hitting her.

Still, Gilda was glad that no pegasi had made their appearance, yet. That would make things tricky.

Almost as soon as she thought it, Gilda heard strong flapping from above. Reacting on instinct, she ducked her head and jerked aside, snapping her wings tightly to help her shift course on a dime. Gilda's quick thinking was rewarded as a League pegasus crashed roughly into the pavement where she had been only a second earlier. "Ha! Nice try!"

The pegasus tried to clamber back to his hooves, only to be flattened as the League unicorns tripped over him. The whole lot of them collapsed into a groaning and swearing pile on the floor, blocking the alleyway.

Silently grateful for both her good luck and the idiocy of her pursuers, Gilda hightailed it out of there before any of the ponies chasing her could get back to their hooves. She charged around corners, taking as winding and random a course as possible to throw off the League.

Just as Gilda finally burst out the alleyways and back into the streets, something slammed into her side and pitched her off her feet. "We have you now, now tell us where Berry Twist is!"

Gilda looked up at her assailant. A League pegasus was standing over her, his features obscured by his hood. Dozens of random ponies were looking over and muttering about the commotion.

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Gilda spat, deciding to play dumb. "I was just coming off the train, minding my own business, when you and your buddies tried to jump me! Is this how you ponies treat griffon tourists?!"

"Don't lie!" The pegasus snapped. "We received word that Berry Twist was travelling with a griffon, now where is she?"

Gilda felt a moment of savage glee. Bingo. "So some pony is strutting around with a griffon and you just assumed it was me? Does the griffon even look like me? Is it a guy or a girl, or do you think we all just look the same?!"

"Wha- o-of course I don't!" The pegasus spluttered.

"Yeah, right! I know what ponies like you think of griffons!" More bystanders were stopping and staring now, glaring at the pegasus and muttering under their breath. A few were even beginning to approach. 

The pegasus quickly clambered off Gilda as he realized his predicament. "Er, s-sorry, er, ma'am. I'll just, er-"

"What exactly is occurring here?" Gilda looked up to see a sparklingly white unicorn with an expertly coiffed blue mane, wearing an exquisite jacket and a pretty little monocle, glaring at the League pegasus. 

"Fancy Pants!" The pegasus practically squeaked. "W-what are y-you doing here?!"

Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow. "Apparently witnessing an unprovoked assault. Has the League of Cerberus truly sunk so low?" The pegasus dithered, clearly trying and failing to come up with some defence for his behaviour, but Fancy Pants was having none of it. "I suggest you leave this poor griffon alone and depart. Immediately."

The pegasus babbled something that may have been an agreement and launched himself into the air, rocketing away as if a dragon was on his tail.

"And good riddance," Fancy Pants muttered, before turning to help Gilda up. "Are you quite alright, miss?"

Gilda accepted his hoof and allowed the unicorn to pull her to her feet. "I'm fine. Thanks."

"You're quite welcome." Fancy Pants smiled and adjusted his monocle. "I see Miss Twist has accepted help this year. Excellent."

"W-what?" Gilda took a step back in surprise, but the unicorn just chuckled.

"Don't worry, I have absolutely no intention of 'selling you out' as it were," Fancy said brightly. "The League of Cerberus has caused far too many upsets among the populace for me to find aiding them conscionable." 

"Right." Gilda brushed dust off her feathers. "How did you figure out that I was with Berry?"

Fancy chuckled. "Simple, really. The members of the League of Cerberus are many things, but racist is not one of them. Such prejudice would limit the range of food they are able to sample, after all. Secondly, while many of them possess a dearth of intellect, their ability to sniff out exquisite delicacies, and the creatures associated with it, is second to none. Combine the facts, and the answer is clear. I assure you, there is absolutely no chance that a League pony would be chasing you unless you were connected with a rare edible."

"Somegriff ought to tell them that," Gilda said with a smirk.

"Yes, well, they do have some concern about their reputation, though never enough to stop causing problems," Fancy replied. "Should I assume that you are planning on meeting up with Berry at some point today?"

Gilda just nodded slowly, deciding that she may as well trust this unicorn. "Yeah. I've got to a warehouse on Moonlight Promenade."

"Ah, yes, I know the one." Fancy pointed down the street with a hoof. "Take the first left down there. Keep following that street until you see an archway on the right decorated with a moon. That would be Moonlight Promenade. There is only one warehouse on the Promenade, but I will advise you to take the back entrance into there."

"Whoa, okay, thanks," Gilda replied. "Why the back entrance, though?"

"Just in case," Fancy Pants replied cryptically. "Anyhow, I should let you get back to the task at hand. Good luck, young miss. Come along, Chestnut." 

"Coming! See you later, miss!"

Gilda watched as Fancy Pants strolled away accompanied by, of all things, a young bat-pony mare that she somehow hadn't noticed before. Shaking her head, Gilda turned and hurried towards the street that Fancy had indicated.